Surgical Trainees to attend "boot camp" to learn core skills

Scotland's future surgeons are to benefit from a new programme described as a milestone in surgical training in the UK.

The latest group of surgical trainees will begin the first phase of the training this week - an intensive “boot camp” to teach them core skills.

The Improving Surgical Training (IST) pilot programme aims to set aside more time for training, create longer placements and offer better support for trainees.

Professor Rowan Parks, deputy medical director at NHS Education for Scotland, said: “We really want to not only increase the face-to-face time between trainee and trainers, but we are also looking to embed simulation and make it much more a part of early surgical training.

“We're excited by the prospects of the IST pilot. It holds out the opportunity of real benefits for trainees, so we're taking the step of offering it to every one of our recruits.”

All of Scotland's 2018 intake of 49 eligible posts will be included in the IST programme - more than half the 81 posts available across the UK.

Professor Michael Lavelle-Jones, president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, said: “The launch of the IST project is a significant milestone in the development of surgical training in the UK.

“It represents the first major change in over a decade and the programme has the complete support of our college.

“I am particularly pleased to see that more than half of the posts are in Scotland.

“I am absolutely confident that the concepts and principles of IST will become the yardstick by which high-quality surgical training will be judged in the future."